Motto | Lower Taxes. Less Government. More Freedom. |
---|---|
Formation | 2004 |
Legal status | 501(c)(4) |
Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
Membership
|
over 1 million in 2010 |
President & CEO
|
Adam Brandon |
Parent organization
|
Citizens for a Sound Economy |
Affiliations | FreedomWorks for America, FreedomWorks Foundation |
Volunteers
|
600,000 online activists |
Website | Freedomworks.org |
FreedomWorks is a conservative and libertarian advocacy group based in Washington D.C., United States. FreedomWorks trains volunteers, assists in campaigns, and encourages them to mobilize, interacting with both fellow citizens and their political representatives. It is widely associated with the Tea Party movement.
FreedomWorks originated from a conservative political group founded by David H. Koch and Charles Koch called Citizens for a Sound Economy, which in 2004 split into Americans for Prosperity, led by President Nancy Pfotenhauer, and a remainder group which merged with Empower America and was renamed FreedomWorks, led by President and CEO Matt Kibbe.Dick Armey, Jack Kemp, and C. Boyden Gray served as co-chairmen of the new organization with Bill Bennett focusing on school choice as a Senior Fellow. Empower America had been founded in 1993 by Bennett, former Secretary of HUD Jack Kemp, former Ambassador Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, and former Representative Vin Weber. In December 2006, Steve Forbes joined the FreedomWorks board of directors.
The "FreedomWorks" name was derived from a common Armey saying: "Freedom works. Freedom is good policy and good politics."
On August 14, 2009, after Armey's leadership of FreedomWorks became a problem to his employer, the lobbying and legal firm of DLA Piper, Armey was forced to resign from his job at DLA Piper. DLA Piper chairman Francis Burch responded that the firm serves clients "... who support enactment of effective health care reform this year and encourages responsible national debate."